The Huairou Hu's offensive continued until nearly evening.

At the cost of nearly 100 casualties, the Nanying Pan Mei Department finally withstood the first wave of attacks of the Yuan army anyway. However, this news did not make Luo Guoqi happy, because on the night of the same day, Tanma sent a shocking piece of information. The follow-up troops of the Yuan army had already appeared sixty miles from the city, and the total number was about twenty-two or three thousand.

"How can there be so many tartars? According to the information report of the General Administration Department, there are obviously less than 10,000 enemy troops available for deployment in Hejian Province! Where did the extra 10,000 people come from? ”

"Quirky indeed! Isn't it the Yuan Army's bluff? In fact, there are not so many troops, just pretending to have so many soldiers? ”

"It's dark and rainy, which is good for concealment. The source of information about the horses was their personal observations, and the place where they personally observed them was not too far from the brigade of the Tartar March. If the Tartars were really just bluffing, they wouldn't be able to fool them. Twenty-three thousand,......, is it true? ”

"What is it?"

"Two possibilities. Or maybe Chahan had the support of Dadu, and the Tartar army stationed in Dadu also participated. Or is it ,......, or is the war in Datong over? Therefore, Chahan was able to free his hands and send the elite of Jinji? ”

"The war in Datong is over?" Ji Zongzhou gasped.

If it is the former, as Luo Guoqi first guessed, the reason why the follow-up troops of the Yuan army can have more than 20,000 people is because the garrison of Dadu participated in the battle, but it is not enough. And if it is the latter, such as Luo Guoqi's next guess, it is actually that Chakhan Timur has won the battle of Datong? Its impact is not only on Dizhou, but even on the entire war situation, Jining, and Juye will inevitably fall into passivity.

Luo Guoqi frowned, paced the hall, and the military boots stepped on the ground to make a "clattering" sound. Everyone in the hall was silent.

"No! The stakes are high. The follow-up of more than 20,000 Tartars greatly exceeded our army's previous expectations, not only will it cause huge pressure on our Dizhou City, but it is more likely to involve the Juye battlefield. It must be sent to Yidu urgently for 800 miles immediately and reported to the lord to know! On the one hand, please change the original plan of 'using the fortified city to exhaust the enemy first, and then send elite annihilation' and send reinforcements quickly; on the other hand, if Chahan defeats Polo, it is better to ask Yidu to make corresponding adjustments to the combat deployment in time. ”

Ji Zongzhou's expression moved, and he pursed his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but finally swallowed back, turned his head, and glanced down at the hall.

Luo Guoqi noticed his small movements, guessed his thoughts, and then remembered the explanation in Deng She's previous military letter, thought about it for a while, the plan was decided, looked around at the generals, and said: "It is very important to send a letter to Yidu, and you can't take it lightly, you need to send a heavy general in person." ......, where is Ji Chong? ”

Ji Chong is a deputy Qianhu who is qualified to participate in the military discussion, and he is also in the hall at this time, and he responds to the call and says: "The last general!" ”

"Assign ten horsemen with you, while the main force of the Tartars has not yet arrived, fail to close the siege, and go out of the city at night, that is, to Yidu! Give you a day, until tomorrow night, at the latest, you must tell the Lord about it! ”

"Your Excellency!"

Luo Guoqi's face sank, and he said: "The military order is like a mountain. What else do you have to say? ”

What is a "military order"? It is an order from the superior. And whether the order is right or wrong, subordinates must obey it unconditionally. Even if the official wants his subordinates to die, his subordinates must complete it without discount. The barracks are no more than anywhere else, and bargaining and even disobedience are never allowed.

Therefore, even though Ji Chong was full of reluctance, he was helpless, there was no way, he glanced sideways at Ji Zongzhou, and then turned his gaze back to Luo Guoqi, half-knelt and straightened his chest, and said loudly: "The military order has been issued, and the last general has nothing to say!" Guaranteed completion of the task. ”

"You go forward, take the military documents, and go quickly."

Ji Chong got up, waited for General Luo Guoqi to finish writing the report, stamped it with a big seal, sealed it carefully, took it, put it in his arms, and led the transfer of troops and the token to go out of the city, made a military salute, and strode out of the hall.

Luo Guoqi, Ji Zongzhou and others in the hall continued to hold military discussions, discussing ways to deal with emergencies for the time being, and only said Ji Chong. He ordered ten horses, braved the rain and went out of the city at night, changed horses and people along the way, traveled hundreds of miles, and the next day it was almost night, and finally rushed back to Yidu in time according to the order.

A military letter Nine Heavens.

Sent into the Yanwang Mansion, in less than two quarters of an hour, a dull drum sounded, it was Deng She's ascension. Someone led Ji Chong, who was waiting in the side room, through the courtyard and through the courtyard, stepping on the drum, to enter the hall.

Ji Chong came to the hall, looked up, and saw that there were already more than a dozen people in the hall. The one sitting on the main seat, although not as weak as the crown, has a calm bearing; Although Yaqing is plain clothes, he is heroic. It was none other than Dunshe. Behind him and under the steps, there were eight or nine guards and wrestlers, all wearing cross-horned heads, wearing purple plum blossom Luo narrow-sleeved shirts, tied with gold-coated belts, white brocade sweat hips, negative bones on the shoulders, and ring knives on the waist. The so-called "bone duo", that is, the big head of the cane, "the head of the vermilion lacquer stick, through the gold coated copper mallet".

Because it was night, many candles were lit in the hall, some of which were placed on the candlesticks on both sides, and some were placed on the desks, reflecting the light in the hall.

There were thirty or so chairs on either side of the main seat, most of them empty, except for the two at the top who were now seated. When Ji Chong looked at it, he also recognized that one was Hong Jixun and the other was Luo Lilang. But it turned out that the two of them were already discussing with Deng She, and they heard the urgent report from Dizhou, so they came together.

Ji Chong didn't dare to look at it more, and knelt down and bowed.

Deng She got straight to the point and asked directly: "According to the Luo Guoqi Military Report, the total number of Tatars before and after the attack on Dizhou was no less than 25,000, and he guessed that it was very likely that Chakhan Timur had won the Datong War. Ji Chong, you just came from Dizhou, let me ask you, what is the situation in the city now? ”

"When the last general left Dizhou, the vanguard of the Tartars, Huairou Hucai, had about 3,000 people, and had just launched an offensive against the southern camp of our army outside the city. Although Pan Mei, the defender of the southern camp, repelled the Tartars, the casualties of his 500 men were quite heavy. ”

"How's Beiying?"

The overall defense system of Dizhou, Luo Guoqi has already reported to Deng She, so Deng She is also very clear.

Ji Chong replied: "Beiying is fine. ”

"What about in the city?"

"There are Lord Luo and Lord Ji in the city, patrolling the defense every day, and using a variety of means to improve the morale of the army, and the fighting spirit of the brothers is very high."

"When you left the city, the follow-up troops of the Tartars were sixty miles outside the city?"

"Yes. It is expected that at the moment, perhaps the Tartars have begun to besiege the city. ”

……

The night is hazy in Dizhou City, and the rain that has been going on for many days is gradually getting smaller. The night sky was still overcast, and the clouds were still thick. The stars that twinkled among the clouds yesterday are nowhere to be found tonight. The city wall within a radius of more than ten miles is blazing, and under the background of the firelight, it is as bright as day for several miles before and after.

Luo Guoqi and Ji Zong were in the north city head and the west city head on Monday, both wearing helmets and cloaks, and were nervously urging the soldiers to strengthen their defenses overnight. Ten miles below the city, the Yuan army has arrived.

If the fire of the city wall is compared to a rectangular fire snake, then ten miles outside the city, the bonfire of the Yuan army connects the night and the rain, almost trying to disperse the clouds, like a winding fire dragon. At this moment, it can be clearly seen that this fire dragon is scattering in all directions, some going to the south of the city, and some going to the west of the city; Some went to the south and north of the second battalion, and some were stable in the center, which was for the Chinese army.

Along with the dispersion of the fire dragon, there were bursts of drums and horns, which passed through the rain curtain and entered the city from afar.

Luo Guoqi stared into the distance and muttered, "The Tartars have begun to besiege the city. ”

……

Yanwang Mansion.

Deng She then asked Ji Chong, and while he was talking, the guard at the door came to report that someone had come from outside the hall. Deng She stopped talking, and his order was announced, and the person who came was Li Shousheng.

"Do you have any information sent to the secret agents in Datong, Jinji and other places in Datong, Jinji and other places in recent days?"

"Back to the lord, there is no information to send."

"What about Dadu?"

"Most of them do."

"How so? Is there any change in the Tartar garrison in Dadu? ”

"There is no change."

"Now outside the city of Dizhou, there are more than 20,000 Tartars attacking, Luo Guoqi judges, either there are Tartars from Dadu, or Richard Han has defeated Polo. If you were asked to analyze, which one do you think would be more likely? ”

Li Shousheng's heart jumped, his expression remained unchanged, he lowered his head slightly and pondered for a moment, and then replied: "The tartars of Dadu are definitely not moving. If the minister is asked to choose one of the two, it should be Richard who has won Polo. ”

"If that's the case, why hasn't there been any news from the General Administration?"

"Two possibilities. First, Chahan is victorious, and the information has not yet been delivered; Second, Chakhan blocked border communications, and intelligence could not be sent. ”

"Give you two days, at all costs, be sure to get to the bottom of this matter!"

"Whoa!"

Li Shousheng clenched his hands into fists, lowered his head, withdrew from the hall, and turned to go.

"Mr. Hong, we originally expected that there would be at most 10,000 Tartars attacking my Dizhou City, but now there are more than 20,000 people. Luo Guoqi has a total of more than 4,000 guards, and his troops are already at an absolute disadvantage. If the Tartars ignore the casualties and go out to storm and attack, how many days do you think our defenders can hold out? ”

Hong Jixun said: "Lord Luo has two battalions in the south and north outside the city, and they are at odds with the city. If the Yuan army is less than 10,000 people, it is enough to deal with it; But if the Yuan army is more than 10,000 people, it will be difficult to stop. According to the minister's expectations, since the vanguard of the Yuan army, Huairou Hu Cai, has stormed the southern camp for half a day, in the next formal offensive and defensive battle, the Yuan army will definitely continue to take the southern camp and the northern camp first, so as to break our two arms in the city. ……。 ”

……

The Yuan army set up camp and deployed the encirclement, and as Hong Jixun expected, the Chinese army was used to monitor the city, so that the elite could take two more battalions outside the city.

……

"In this case, because the disparity between the enemy and our forces is too great, the two battalions are alone, and they have lost their role in containing the enemy, and it is difficult to hold the camp. If the minister is Luo Guoqi, he will abandon the camp in time and summon the guards of the two battalions to break through into the city, so as to strengthen the defense force in the city. ”

……

When Luo Guoqi ordered the two battalions to enter the city, it was too late.

That night, Nanying fell first; At dawn the next day, Beiying was lost.

Pan Mei, the commander of the two battalions in the north and south, and others fought desperately, and in the end, only more than 200 people from 1,000 people successfully broke through and returned to the city. In addition, almost all of the more than 200 people were wounded, and about half of them lost their combat effectiveness.

……

"The two battalions have been lost, and the only thing I can use to stop the enemy is Dizhou City. The city of Dizhou is not too big, nor is it too strong. At this time, if you want to hold out until the arrival of Yidu reinforcements, there is only one best policy. ”

"Why?"

"Not afraid of sacrifice, continue to send dead soldiers to take the initiative to go out of the city to harass the enemy."

"Why?"

"Because the Yuan soldiers are too many, they can't be forced to the city. And if you don't want them to get too close to the city, you can only take the initiative and disrupt their deployment. ”

The Yuan army had 25,000 men, and if they were allowed to force themselves under the city, then they only needed 5,000 men to keep an eye on all the other three city wall guards and attack one with 20,000 men. Even if Luo Guoqi has three heads and six arms, it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice, and it is definitely difficult to resist.

……

On the afternoon of the same day after the loss of the southern and northern battalions, the Yuan army launched a general attack. Just like Hong Jixun's analysis, they are trying in every possible way to attack the moat.

"Lord Luo, the Tartars are attacking fiercely. How does our army respond? ”

Luo Guoqi coincided with Hong Jixun this time, and said loudly: "There are many Tartars, if they are allowed to come to the city, the city will be lost." There is only one way to do this! Send the warriors out of the city, and they must be kept firmly out of the moat! ”

The military flags are linked.

Groups of brave men led by brave generals left the city one after another, going forward one after another, fighting bloody battles on the moat. Rain, river water, and blood flowed in one place, making the ground even more muddy. Broken fights, broken knives, broken arrows, scattered on the battlefield, intensified the tragedy. Soldiers and soldiers in different uniforms fought endlessly, and the corpses gradually accumulated and fell into the water, almost filling the moat.

……

"But even so, after all, there are too many Tartar troops and horses, and it will be difficult for Dizhou City to hold for too long. If Lord Luo can stabilize the morale of the army and the people, maybe he can hold it for a day or two longer. Otherwise, three days at most. ”

……

The Yuan army worked day and night, dividing the troops into several parts, for two days and one night, and the offensive did not stop for half an hour.

Although the Dizhou army still blocked them out of the moat, this was all filled with human lives. Moreover, on the second night of the attack, the Yuan army captured a lot of people outside the city, drove them all into the river, drowned alive, and tried to really fill the moat with corpses. Screams and wails continued all day long.

The defenders in Dizhou City are the elite of Haidong Wuya, and they can barely put the casualties of their comrades behind them, and they can barely ignore the wails of the people outside the city, but the people in the city are not better than the soldiers, although they are all in troubled times, in the end, they see less tragic scenes, and they hear more tragic scenes. Rumors gradually arose, and the people's hearts seemed to be floating.

Luo Guoqi found an excuse to take down all the giant rooms and heroes in the city, and he didn't kill them, but only put them under house arrest. He also picked out some ruffians and scoundrels, and simply didn't even look for excuses, but simply posted a notice: "Rumors confuse the public, and military law will be punished." "I cut off my head in the vegetable market and hung it on the wall in blood.

Use military law to deter the city, so that the people dare not move.

At the same time, he did not leave the castle tower day and night. The Yuan army had a strong crossbow with a long range, and built several high platforms outside the moat, which were condescending and could shoot into the city. The day after defending the city, Luo Guoqi was on the city tower, sitting on the bed of Hu and directing the frontline battle remotely, when a crossbow bolt arrived and hit the bottom of the bed.

Crossbow bolts are not the same as arrows. In particular, the crossbow bolts fired by large bows are long and thick, and can penetrate several layers of heavy armor. Immediately frightened the generals and soldiers who surrounded Luo Guoqi.

Luo Guoqi slowly leaned over, pulled out the crossbow arrow, smiled, and said, "Almost shot me in the toe!" "Like the last time he and Fang Congzhe sent an envoy to Jinling, Luo Guoqi is now a big weapon. In normal times, he may not be able to see his surprise, but whenever there is a big event, he can be calm and serious.

……

"Luo Guoqi has national talents, and he will definitely be able to stabilize the military and people's hearts." Dunshe said.

Hong Jixun said: "Even so, my Yidu's reinforcements still have to be sent quickly." If you wait until Dizhou falls, it will be dangerous! ”

……

Back on the night when Ji Chong arrived in Yidu, two hours later, the first reinforcements hurried out of the city.